Chapter 356 Emperor Xia vows to live and die with the capital
Li Liangfu, the general of the Xia Kingdom, thought for a long time. He gritted his teeth and gritted his teeth. He was the first to step out of the line, bowed and clasped his fists, and played:
"I am a good assistant to your Majesty. I have a plan to fend off the enemies of the Song Dynasty."
Xia Emperor Li Qianshun's eyes instantly focused on his beloved general Li Liangfu, as if he saw the dawn of hope. He nodded slightly and said:
"Since Li Aiqing has a plan to fend off the enemy, come quickly!"
"The humble minister Liangfu obeys the decree."
"In my opinion, it is a lie that Zhe's soldiers and horses from the Song Dynasty Prefecture invaded north along both banks of the Yellow River and attacked Jingzhou City!"
"It's true that the enemies of the Song Dynasty wanted to use Fuzhou to defeat their troops and clear out our Daxia garrison on both sides of the Yellow River!"
"The enemy of the Song Dynasty wants to take a big boat down the Yellow River and attack our Xingqing Mansion!"
Li Liangfu's words caused all the civil and military officials in the hall to look sideways, frown in thought, and then nodded in agreement, saying...
Li Chengqian, who was sitting on the dragon chair, nodded slightly and said, "What Li Aiqing said is absolutely true."
"I also predict that after Zhao Ji, the dog emperor of the Song Dynasty who betrayed the peace treaty between Xia and Song Dynasty, personally attacked our Xijing, he would most likely lead his troops down the Yellow River to attack my capital."
Li Qianshun's voice was low, filled with endless hatred, and every word was like a heavy hammer, hitting the hearts of every courtier in the hall, causing ripples of panic.
"Well, my dear, what plan do you have to defend yourself against the enemy now?"
"According to the humble opinion of Wei Chen Liangfu, it is better to defend the enemy below the capital than above the Yellow River!"
In an instant, Li Qianshun understood Li Liangfu's plan.
All the civil and military officials in the hall also nodded and agreed.
Li Qianshun said helplessly: "Although Aiqing's plan is a good one, my shipbuilding industry in Great Xia is far inferior to that of Song. Therefore, the capital has very few warships that can be used in the Yellow River. How can we fight the enemy of Song on water?"
Li Liangfu started to say:
"According to Wei Chen Liangfu's plan, water warfare is a supplement, and preventing the enemy from landing is the main thing!"
Li Qianshun said hurriedly: "Please my dear, please tell me in detail."
"Wei Chen Liangfu obeys the order. At this moment, all merchant ships and fishing boats in the capital should be recruited to defend the Song Dynasty enemies on the Yellow River on the eastern outskirts of the capital."
"Of course, these merchant ships and fishing boats may not be the opponents of the Song army's warships. However, according to Weichen's opinion, a large army was sent from the capital and additional troops were arrayed at the Yellow River wharf and the banks of the Yellow River on the eastern outskirts of the capital to stop the attack. The enemies of Song Dynasty have landed."
Li Qianshun nodded in agreement and asked, "Who can take on this important task?"
"Your Majesty, I am a good minister and I would like to ask you to go out to fight and lead the reinforcements to guard the west bank of the Yellow River in the eastern suburbs of the capital!"
Li Liangfu bowed and clasped his fists, his voice firm and powerful, breaking the silence in the hall.
"Okay! I'm going to play!" Hearing this, Li Qianshun's eyes flashed with an imperceptible light.
"Li Aiqing, how many troops and horses do you need to bring?"
"My humble minister Liangfu, I kindly request your majesty to allocate to you a group of elite guards from the capital and a group of artillerymen from the 'Poxi' army, with cyclone cannons, to go to the bank of the Yellow River to guard the ferry crossing. They will also be supplemented by thousands of 'supporters' the crowd."
Li Liangfu elaborated on his plan: "If the Song army wants to go down the Yellow River, it must pass along the Yellow River on the eastern outskirts of our capital city."
"Our army can rely on the terrain and use the cyclone cannon to block enemy ships from a long distance and make it difficult for them to approach."
"At the same time, a group of elite guards in the capital ambushed on the west bank of the Yellow River. If the Song army rushes to the west bank of the Yellow River regardless of heavy casualties, risking arrows and flying rocks, our army's ambush can wait for the opportunity and attack with surprise troops. The Song army that had just landed was caught off guard and found it difficult to advance!"
"Your Majesty will decide the specific number of soldiers and generals!"
"The humble minister Liangfu will definitely defend the west bank of the Yellow River and prevent the Song army from landing from the Yellow River!"
Li Qianshun thought for a while and calculated the current number of soldiers and horses in the capital:
Today, there are only 25,000 well-equipped guards in the capital. They have to guard the six gates of the outer city of Xiping Prefecture, as well as the towers and crenellations on the city wall;
The capital guards guarding the outer city had to take turns changing guard day and night, which was already a bit stretched.
As for Li Liangfu's request to prepare a "poxi" for him, this was somewhat difficult for Emperor Xia Li Qianshun.
This "Poxi" was originally the establishment of the 25,000-strong Beijing Guard Army.
Because in the previous war between Song and Xia, the Xia army saw the power of the stone cannons (i.e. trebuchets) used by the Song army. Therefore, they learned from the Song army and also equipped the Xia army with light trebuchets, i.e. cyclone cannons. A team of gunners was selected, called "Poxi".
Li Qianshun thought: Within the capital, there are still 70,000 people serving as the "support" (i.e., deputy soldiers) of the guards in the capital.
However, these "support-bearers" were ordinary people in normal times. During wartime, they were forcibly recruited and served as handymen with the army, and they had no fighting capacity at all.
"Alas!" Li Qianshun sighed as he thought of this.
In the main hall, all the civil and military officials immediately held their breath.
General Li Liangfu didn't know why Emperor Xia was lamenting, and buried his head even lower, just waiting to see how many troops and horses Emperor Xia could allocate to him.
Li Qianshun secretly said: Now, in my imperial city, there are still five thousand people of the "Six Squadrons in the Imperial Garden". However, they are to defend the imperial city and cannot be sent out easily.
What's more, I am very worried about more than 500 of these 5,000 people in the "Six Straits in the Imperial Garden".
Because, on the surface, they are composed of people who are good at riding and shooting, selected by me from the powerful and close relatives of each tribe, to serve as my bodyguards. This is my favor and preferential treatment to each tribe;
However, everyone can see that this is actually a hostage army, using the powerful and close relatives of each tribe as "hostages" in front of the emperor to control the leaders and powerful people of each tribe.
However, when Zhao Ji, the dog emperor of the Song Dynasty, went on a personal expedition to attack many cities in my Daxia Kingdom, only a very small number of local tribal armies went to fight, and many more local armies stood aside and watched!
It’s time for me to make a decisive decision and kill some protons!
After I retreat from the court, I will kill a few protons first!!
Li Qianshun was in a bad mood and his mind was confused when facing the current situation of losing again and again:
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! 'There were originally three thousand "Iron Kites" riding in my capital, which were composed of the most brave and good warriors selected from the entire army in Daxia. Ah! The iron kite cavalry and war horses are all wearing armor, and their commander is Brother Richard, the God of War of Great Xia!'
Li Qianshun was heartbroken when he remembered that the Iron Harriers had been completely wiped out by the Song army, and then that his most trusted and beloved emperor brother Richard had been captured by the Song army, and his life and death were still unknown.
Li Qianshun used his right hand to cover the aching left chest where his heart was, and looked at General Li Liangfu who was clasping his fists and bowing, waiting for the oracle.
This is one of his three most trusted generals.
The other two are King Li Chage of Jin, who was captured by the Song army and whose life and death are still unknown; and King Li Renzhong (Renzhong) of Pu, who committed suicide at the gate of Xijing City.
Li Qianshun was a wise emperor. He knew the loyalty of General Li Liangfu. The strategy he had just proposed to defend the enemy along the Yellow River in the eastern suburbs of Xijing was well-founded and very feasible. However, the troops in the capital were now limited, and King Qin's army had not been available for a long time. to.
He gritted his teeth and rattled, then opened his mouth, sighed and said:
"My beloved Li Liangfu, I appoint you to concurrently serve as the capital commander of the Yellow River Defense Line in Gyeonggi Province!"
"My humble minister, Liangfu, thank you for your kindness!" While Li Liangfu thanked him for his kindness, he also looked forward to how many troops Emperor Xia could allocate to him to guard the banks of the Yellow River on the eastern outskirts of the capital.
Li Qianshun picked up the royal pen, dipped it in ink, brushed a few dots, and wrote the imperial edict with his own hand on the rice paper laid out on the dragon's desk. He then took out the six gold-plated brass mobilizing talisman and asked the chamberlain to hand it to Li Liangfu.
"Li Aiqing, take my imperial edict and the troop deployment talisman, and quickly go to the six gates of the capital, and recruit a thousand elite troops from each department, for a total of 6,000 capital guards to belong to your department; I will also assign you three deputy soldiers as 'support' Thousands of people.”
"I will also allocate you a team of 300 people from the 'Poxi' artillery unit, equipped with 100 cyclone cannons!"
"I grant you the right to urgently mobilize all ships in the capital!"
"When your troops are building fortifications along the Yellow River in the eastern suburbs of the capital, if there is a shortage of wood and bricks, I will grant you special privileges: you can demolish houses at will in civilian lanes in the east city of the capital to obtain wood and stones for your military use!"
Li Qianshun almost gritted his teeth and said this.
He knew that after these soldiers and horses were separated, the defensive power of Xingqing Mansion in the capital where he was located would be greatly weakened.
All the ships in the capital were handed over to Li Liangfu, which would cut off the escape route for the royal family and officials to escape northward through the Yellow River waterway!
Destroying people's houses to harvest wood and stones goes against my good reputation of loving my people like my own son.
However, now that the Xia army was being defeated by the Zhao Guan family of the Song Dynasty who were personally conquering the army, Li Qianshun had no choice but to make this choice.
"I am a humble minister, Liangfu, thank you Lord for your kindness!" Li Liangfu thanked him excitedly.
"Your Majesty divided the troops into 6,000 elite troops for the ministers, 30,000 "bearing support" auxiliary troops, 300 "poxi" troops, and a hundred cyclone cannons!"
"Such an elite division, equipped with a hundred cyclone cannons, is truly a powerful weapon given to me by Your Majesty. It is as powerful as a tornado!"
"The humble minister Liangfu, with the lives of his whole family as guarantee, will be able to guard the banks of the Yellow River in the eastern suburbs of the capital!"
Li Liangfu’s words were full of confidence and determination:
"The humble ministers swore to die with the soldiers, and used their flesh and blood to build copper and iron walls to occupy the enemy along the Yellow River on the eastern outskirts of the capital to ensure the safety of the capital of our Daxia Kingdom!"
"Okay!" Li Qianshun slapped the dragon chair, and the sound was like a loud bell, which shook the hall:
"I'm waiting for Li Aiqing, good news is coming soon!"
"Li Aiqing, hurry up and mobilize the troops to guard the banks of the Yellow River in the eastern suburbs of the capital!"
"Wei Chen Liangfu obeys the order..."
"I hope that Li Aiqing will be able to win a decisive victory and exalt the prestige of our country!
"Wei Chen Liangfu obeys the order..."
Suddenly, there was a burst of admiration from the officials in the hall...
Li Liangfu exited the hall and went away...
Li Qianshun said: "Send more scouting horses to detect the enemy's movements in the Song Dynasty, and listen to the battle reports on the front line in time, and report them to me at any time."
"According to the order!"
At this time, the hall briefly fell into silence.
Li Qianshun was displeased and said: "Now that we are facing a powerful enemy, all our beloved ministers should open up their voices and find ways to defeat the enemy!"
At this time, an old minister about fifty years old, dressed in red robes and holding an ivory wat tablet, slowly came out of the procession. He was the imperial censor of the Xia Kingdom, Zhongcheng Bali Zuren.
"Your Majesty is wise and has sent General Li Liangfu to lead his troops to guard the banks of the Yellow River in the eastern suburbs of the capital. This is a very good move! It can greatly delay the Song army from going down the river and landing on the bank!"
"However, I have some concerns and I really don't dare to speak out. Please forgive me for making false statements that are punishable by death!"
Li Qianshun frowned and said displeasedly: "I forgive your innocence, tell me quickly!"
"I obey the decree." Bari Zuren, who was greedy for money and afraid of death, said hurriedly:
"We heard that the Song Army has a 'Hangtian Thunder' made by the Song Emperor Zhao Ji!"
"The Xiping Prefecture in the capital of our country, Xiping, has a high city and deep ditches. Its city defense is only slightly inferior to that of our capital, Xingqing Prefecture. However, the Song army did not waste any effort and used thunder to blast open the gate of Xijing, forcing Pu The king committed suicide on the city wall and died for his country!"
"For the current plan, I suggest that your Majesty move the capital as soon as possible!"
"Move the capital?" The officials in the hall were in an uproar...
Many of them know that Yushi Zhongcheng Bali Zuren was a greedy official and had a rich family fortune.
All the civil and military officials who worked with him praised his proposal in their hearts.
If Emperor Xia agrees to move the capital quickly, all the civil and military officials and their families in this palace, as well as their gold and silver, will be brought to the "new capital". Here in the capital, they will only lose their homes and land, which is a good idea!
"Pa!~"
Li Qianshun slapped the dragon bookcase suddenly, which frightened all the civil and military officials into silence.
"Humph!" Li Qianshun's voice was filled with unquestionable majesty:
"Since the founding of our country by my ancestor, Emperor Jingzong, my country, Daxia, has gone through countless ups and downs. How has it ever been possible for me to abandon the capital and flee?!"
"The capital city of Xingqing Mansion is the place where our country, Daxia, thrives. How can we abandon it so easily!"
Censor Zhongcheng Bali Zuren was also frightened by Emperor Xia's momentum, and his body trembled.
However, Bali Zuren calmed down his mind. Since he had received the imperial edict from Emperor Xia in advance to absolve him of any wrongdoing, he was able to serve without fear and remonstrated again:
"Weichen once studied the Han Dynasty's art of war and heard about the wars of the Central Plains dynasties in the past, and he realized a truth: if you save the land and lose the people, you will lose both the people and the land; if you save the people and lose the land, you will save the people and the land!"
"At the moment, the Song army is powerful, and our troops are scattered. King Qin's army will not be there for a long time. There are less than 30,000 defenders in the city. It is difficult to withstand the elite force of more than 100,000 Song troops!"
"We are risking our lives to remonstrate. Although moving the capital is not the best policy, it can keep the blood of our Xixia party alive. We can wait for the opportunity to counterattack and defeat the Song enemies and recapture Xingqing Mansion! I hope Your Majesty will think twice!"
"Wei Chen seconded the suggestion, what the censor Zhongcheng said makes sense!"
"Wei Chen also seconded the proposal..."
"Bang!" Li Qianshun stretched out his right hand, clenched it into a fist, and smashed it on Long's writing desk, making a loud noise.
The Long Book Table trembled violently, and all the civil and military officials in the hall were so frightened that they trembled all over.
A "plop" sound.
Censor Zhongcheng Bali Zuren was so frightened that he knelt down and trembled:
"Your Majesty, please calm down! Your Majesty, please calm down!"
"This is just a personal opinion, but I am actually worried about your majesty's safety. Please calm down, your majesty!"
"Haha..." Li Qianshun sneered, glared at Cheng Bari Zuren and said:
"I have received dozens of memorials to impeach you, the imperial censor, Zhongcheng, for taking bribes."
"Bali Zuren, you are afraid that if my capital cannot be defended, your tens of millions of wealth will fall into the hands of the Song army, so you encourage me to move the capital quickly, right?!"
Bari Zuren was so frightened by Emperor Xia's words that he sweated profusely. He kowtowed repeatedly and kept defending...
"Okay! Bali Zuren, even if you keep saying you are loyal to the emperor and patriotic, then you can donate eight-tenths of your family wealth to help me reward the three armies!"
"Ah?!" Bari Zuren felt that a lot of his flesh had been cut off by Emperor Xia in front of everyone. He was extremely distressed, but he could only obey the order and thank him!
…
"I can see that many of the local armies in the Xia Kingdom are watching from the sidelines!"
"If I can defend the capital and repel the Song army, the troops of King Qin from all over the country will soon arrive one after another!"
"If my plan is to move the capital in the name of moving the capital, it is actually a plan for you and I to escape from Xingqing Mansion;
"Or, if I only take my personal guards to hunt in the north or patrol the west, it will cause panic among the people in the capital and lower the morale of the defenders. The Song army will be able to attack Xingqing Mansion, my capital, without any effort!"
"The fall of my capital means the destruction of my country, Daxia!"
"At that time, no matter which local army I fled to, as long as the enemy of the Song Dynasty sends troops to attack, or the dog emperor of the Song Dynasty issues an edict, I will be easily tied up by the local army and dedicated to the Song Dynasty. That dog emperor Zhao Ji is here!"
"The kings who lost their country in the past dynasties all met a tragic end! But the ministers who lost their country were often re-activated!"
"Ah?!" Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials were so frightened that they knelt on the ground.
Li Qianshun said angrily: "If I abandon the city first and flee, how can I convince the people? How can I calm the people's hearts?"
"I have made up my mind, and I vow to live and die with Xingqing Mansion in the capital!"
"If anyone tries to persuade me to move the capital again, I will be cut in half immediately!"
"If anyone tries to persuade me to hunt in the north or patrol the west again, I will be killed!"
"All your beloved ministers should perform their duties and be prepared to defend the city for several months or even a year!"
"I have sent several groups of envoys out of the city to urgently order local armies to go to the capital for King Qin!"
"The Song army came over a long distance, and its lone army penetrated deeply. Its logistics and food supply were not smooth. As long as I can lead all my beloved ministers to defend the capital for more than three months, the Song army will be defeated! Our army will win!"